Method of making steering wheels



y 1932- B. BRONSON ET AL. 1,869,332

METHOD OF MAKING STEERINGWHEELS Filed Nov. 18, 1929 s Sheets-Sheet 1 5. BRONSON ET AL METHOD OF MAKING STEERING WHEELS Filed Nov. 18, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet.

July 26, 1932.

Filed NOV. 18, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet M am Patented July 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT rricm BUDD enonson AND EDWARD n. MAB-BACH, or CLEVELAND, onro, nssieitons o THE oHIonUBBEn COMPANY, or CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF onto METHOD or MAKING STEERING wH ELs,

Application filediNovember 18, 1929. Serial No. 407,983. 1

the wheel has been built up from a large num ber of separate parts and by a large'number of operations. This core has been the source of considerable difficulty, requiring entirely different-manufacture from the remaining parts, hence impeding production and rendering the same complicated and expensive. It is therefore one object ofthe present I invention to avoid thedifliculties inherent in the core above referred to, and in short, to provide a cor eless construction. 7

Further objects of the invention are to simplify and improve the framework and method of constructing the same and to reduce the cost thereof. These objects are attained by v reducing the number of parts and operations,

and constructing all parts by the same type of manufacture, such as sheet metal stamping. 3o

ture of the spider of the wheel, including the spokes and the hub, the method of constructing this element of a single piece stamped from sheet metal, and the blank from which 3 it is formed, which is shapedjso as to avoid excessive scrap in stamping and forming the I I, v I,

' gether in any desired manner, and the ends,

same.

The invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts which will be described in the specification and set forth in the appended claims. l v

In the accompanying sheets of drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of a steering wheel constructed according to one embodiment of our invention, parts thereof being broken away and shown in section to illustrate internal construction;

'me'nt' shown in Fig. 4; I

The invention resides inthe integral struc-' .Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section throughthe structure shown in Fig. 1, taken along the line indicated at 2-2, and showing additionally'the steering column andmast Flg. 3 1s a transverse sectlon taken. along the line 3 3 ofFig. 2;

Fig; 4 is an elevation of the spider element Fig. 5 is an inverted planview of'the ele- Fig. 6 is an ele'vation ofa flat sheet metal stamping, from which the spider is formed; Fig. 7 is a plan view of another stamping forming'a filler member for.assembly with a the stamping shown inFi'g. 6;

- Fig. 8 is an elevation of the filler member; shown'in Fig. 7, after the same'has been rolled. into the desired form. 4 j i Fig. 9'is a perspective view ofthespider blank after the initial ofi'sets' have "been. formed therein; 5

Fig. 10 is'a perspective View of the same tube, and I 0 i .afterithas been rolled nto the form of a 7 Figure 11 is a perspective viewof'the same 7 after the spokes have been bent down therefrom.

ings, the steering wheel,according to one emk bodiment of the present nvention comprises Referrlng more particularly to the drawa rim 10 and a spider 11. The rim 10 may be in two lobed'cross-section as shown in Fig. 2.

The ends of the member12 are connected'toof the spokes are inserted between the two lobes and pressedther'ebetween thus securing the spokes to the rim without necessitat-. ing bolts, rivets or welding. The rim member 12 and the greater partof the spider lll are covered with non-metallic surfacing material13, after the member 12 has been as? sembled with the spider 11, this materialbe. ing preferably rubber.

The spider 11 comprises a hub lt'and radial spokes 15, 16, 17 and 18, fourbeing shown, 1

but a greater or less number may be employed 2 if desired. These spokesare generally plain but be corru ated if desired as indi- I ca-ted at 45. The hub 14 and the spokes 15, 16,

17 and 18 are preferably formed integrally as a single stamped member 11. This integral construction will be hereinafter deformed centrally scribed in detaihas it constitutes animportant part of the present invention.

The stamping 11, constituting the main member of the spider, after it has been formed or shaped up and as it appears in the finished wheel, mayinclude acentral cupped portion which comprises an annular flange 19 depending below the plane of the spokes,

and terminating in a fiat radial flange 20,

14. I v I Overlying the cupper portion is a cover member, which is preferably a metal stamping, comprising a substantially fiat annular flange 21 and a depending conicarfiange 22 which lies within the flange 19 when the flange 21 is in position on top of the member 1 1 .L a

tween to secure the parts in position. A

lower cover member 2 1, snugly fitting the underside of the cupped portion, has a depending flange 25' which is adapted to .fit

overthe. steering mast 46. and provide a. finished appearance for the completed wheel. 1 jThe memb-er 24 has a flange-26 similar to the flange 21, and adapted to be secured in place by the folds 23 which extend thereunder.

The hub 14 istapered to receive the upper end of a steering shaft ljwhich is of usual construction, having akeyway 48 adapted. to

7 receive a key a1 projecting inwardly from the hub portion 14. A tapered collar 27 is 1 adapted to fit theoutside of the hub 14: and

holdit snugly against the tapered end of the steering column 47. The collar 27 has an inwardly directed radi'alflang'e 49' fitted over the lower end of the hub 14:.

Thesteering wheel as described above, may

be constructed and assembled as followsz'A blank ofthe contour shown in Fig. 6 is first cut or stamped from a flat piece of sheet metal. This blankcomprises a body portion 28, which constitutes substantially a trans-f verse band, from. one edge of-which project fingers 29, 30, 31 and 32 which are adapted to 'form the spokes of thesteering wheel. From' the other edge of the band 28 project, ta-

' after set forth.

; pered portions 33, 34, 35 and 36. .As shownin Fig. 6, the taper of these fingers, at their base,

is comparatively blunt,.as indicated at 37, but} the taper is more acute at the outer portions,

as indicated at 38. Also it will be noted that the projection 34 is wider than the other pro-- jections for a purpose which will be herein- Tnthe process ofconstruction according'to the present invention, the band28 is adapted to form the flange 19, the'portions 37 areof which is the hub'portion The flange 21 carries projections 23, spaced intermediate the spokes 15, 16, l7'and 18, and adapted to be folded down therebeadapted to form the flat portion 20, while the projections 38 are adapted to form part of the hub 14. This may be accomplished in several ways. According to the preferred method, the blank is provided with an offset 39, so that the lower projections are bent at right angles to the plane of the'main portion of the band 28 and the fingers which form the spokes. A further offset 40 is formed in the region of the break between the-tapers 37 and 38, so that the fingers 33, 34:, 35 and 36 areparallel to but spaced from the plane of the band 28 by a substantially perpendicular shoulder formed by the tapered portions37.

The wider finger 3 1. is crimpedor stamped to provide alrey portion, such as indicated at ll in Fig. 3-. The width of the portion-34' is such that arterthe formationof the key 41, the portion 3 l'will be of the same width asv that of theremaining portions.

I This key may be formed. before, during or after the offsetting. of the blank as just described.

The next step in the formation of the memberll is therolling ofthe offset blank into a tubular fornn. as shown in Fig. 10., The,

two ends of the band 28 will be brought to-.;

getherto form a cylinder. The tapered p0r-: i tions-37 being offset inwardly, will fit tegether to fo'rm the radial flange. 20 from which will depend the"projections,33, 3 1, 35

and 36. iVVhile the lower portions of projections 33, 34-, 35 and 36 will not contact throughout their lengths, they will be given a curvature so as to constltute portionsof a common conicalfsurface. f

- The fingers 29, 30,31 and 32 areithen bent,

downwardly and outwardly, so as to. radiate from thehub'portion 1 1, thusforming the spokes of the wheel.

The formation-of the offsets 39 and lO'before the rolling operation is. the preferred method, but it is also Within the purview of the invention to first roll the blankinto a tube,

and then form the offsets 39, and 10'. This will result in formingthe flange 19-be'fore forming the disk 20am the hub 14. In other words, the rolling is not limited in the sea piece of sheetcmet'al, and comprises a band portion 43 and wedge portions 4% projecting therefrom. This member is rolled into a cylindrical form, the ends of the band 43. be; 7

ing brought together for this purpose, andv resulting. in the cylindrical member shown in 8. The projections 44 are adapted to be fitted into V-shaped notches 42 de scribed above.

- The collar 27 fitted over the projections' .33, .34., 35 and 36, and the member 43, with the wedges 44 projecting into the notches 42.

The collar 27 is then rolled to give it a conical contour, and to force it snugly around the projections and the wedge members 44, causing these members to firmly interfit to form the hub 14.

The lower cover member 24 is pressed very firmly up over the cup portion of the spider, the upper cover member is applied and the portions 23 thereof are folded down under the flange 26 of the lower cover member, thus securing these parts together. These steps may be per ormed separately and in any desired order, or they may take place in a single pressing operation. In assembling these parts the edges of the band 40 are preferably spaced 180 from the joint between the ends of the band 28.

The wheel may be assembled on the tapered end of the steering column 47 by fitting I the hub 14 thereover, and applying a washer 50 of sufficient area to provide a substantial bearing on the flat portion 20. When a nut 52 is applied to the threaded upper end 51 of the steering column the washer 50 will urge the hub 14 into frictional engagement with the tapered portion of the steering column, and draw the wedges 44 up into the notches 42, the parts being prevented from spreading by the collar 27 Y It is obvious that if the cupped formation is not desired, the structure and steps for the construction thereof may .be omitted. In

this event the same blank may be used, ex-

. cept that the band 28 will be comparatively narrow, merely of suflicient Width to form a flange connecting the spokes. Then, in forming the insert, the ofl'set 39 is omitted, and the band 28 will be rolled into a flat annulus, rather than a tube. This rolling will cause the spokes to radiate, so that no bending thereof is necessary. Thus in the completed insert, the flat flange will be in the plane of the spokes, the flange 19 being omitted. Similarly, the top plate flange 21 will extend thereacross, the flange 22 being omitted, and

the bottom plate flange 26 may join the flange thereof, with no intermediate cupped portion.

In cutting the blanks such as shown in Fig. 6 from the sheet metal stock, after one blank has been cut, a second blank may be so cut that the portions 29, 30, 31 and 32 are cut from the metal remaining withthe stock sheet from between the corresponding portions of the first blank. A further blank may be so cut that its portions 83, 84, 35 and 36 are cut from the metal remaining from between the correspondin portions of the second blank,

and so on. In this manner the scrap metal may be reduced to a minimum.

WVhile one embodiment of the novel construction and method has been set forth in detail for the purposes of adequate disclosure, the invention is not to be limited to any of the details disclosed, but instead includes suchembodiments of the broad idea as fall within the scope of the appended claims. Having thus described our invention, what we claim is: 1 V

1. A sheet metal blank for a steering wheel spider, comprising a transverse band, relatively long projections from one edge of said band adapted to form spokes of "the wheel, and relatively short projections from the other edge of said bandadapted to form the hub ofthe wheel. r V

2. A sheet metal blank for construction 0 a steering wheel spider, comprising a transverse band, projections from one'edge of said band, and shorter projections from the other" edge thereof, said shorter projections com-f prising mitered portions adapted to form a radial flange, and portions adapted to form ahub. j Y j 3. The method of forming a steering wheel spider, which consists; in stamping j out a sheet metal blank to form a band portion, spoke portions extending laterally from one edge of said band portiomand shorter' plrojections atthe'fother edge ofsaid=band por- V tion, offsetting the shorter; projections, -ro'll-' edge thereof, rolling the stamped blank into 1 j theform of a tube, formingthe project-ions into a smaller tube and beding outwardly the spoke portions. v 1

I 5. Themethod of forming a spider for a" steering wheel, which consists in stamping out a sheet metal blank to form a bandportion,:spoke portions onlone edge of said body portion and projections on the other-edge thereof, forming an offset in said blank, roll ing the stamped blank into the form of a tube, the offset forming a cup portion and the projections forming a hub, and bending outwardly the spoke portions. 6. In a method of forming a spider for a steering wheel, steps which consist in forming from a single piece of sheet metal aband stamped blank into the form of'a tube. v

7. The method of forming a spider foria' steering wheel, which consists in stamping out a sheet metal blank to form a band pen tion, spoke portions on one edgeof said band portion, and mitere'd projections on the other edge thereof having shorter projections, rollthe stamped blank. into the form of a tube, forming the mitered portions into a flange and the shorter projections into a smaller tube, and bendingoutwardly the spoke portions. v r

8. The method o f'forming a spider for a steering Wheel, Which consists in stamping out a sheet metal blank to form 'a'band portion, spoke portions on one edge oit'said band portion, and shorter projections on the other edge thereof, rolling the stamped blank into the form of a tube, forming the projections into a smaller tube fitting a collar around said smaller tube, rolling the collar and shorter projections; to give them common conical contouiy'and bending outwardly the spokeportions. r {5? I 9.. The method of forming a steering Wheel spider, which consists in 'stampingout a sheet metal blank torforin a. band portion, spoke portions extending laterally-from" one side of said band'portion', andshorter prog fjections at the otherside of said band por- 7 tion, crimping one of said shorter projections to form a key, offsetting the shorter project-ions, rolling said band portion into the Ifornrof a tub'e,'and bending the spoke portions outwardly.

10. A blankfor forming a steering Wheel comprising a'band portion," spoke portions projecting a-t one edge of said band portion, and hub portions projecting from the.

61 other edge of said band portion, said hub portionsubeing so arranged that a second blank may be cut from the stock sheet With itsv hubr porti'ons out from'inetal remaining 7' With the stock "sheet frombetween the hub 5". portions of the first mentioned blank. 7 I v 11. The'method of forming a metallic steering Wheel insert Which comprises rolling a'sheet metal blank to form a tubularbody having integral spoke and-hub portions, and

bibending a part of the hub portion of said blank substantially radially inwardly to provide the hub portion of said body with an integral key. V r

12. The method of forming a spider for a v 61 steering Wheel which consists in stamping out a sheet metal blank to form a band portion, spoke portions on one edge of said band portion, hub-forming portions'onthe other edge Vo'fsaid band portion, one of said hub-forming portions being Wider than the remainder of said hub forming portions, rolling the stamped blank into the form of a tube, and bending radially inwardly the 'Wide hubforming portion to provide the hub-portion of said body With'an integral key. In testimony Whereor", We hereunto aflix our signatures. BUDD BRONSON.

EDWARD R. MARBACH. 

